2025 marks Copenhagen’s 55th year in business, and we are so proud to be celebrating over half a century of stunning design and stellar service. As decades pass and trends wax and wane, other things have stayed constant from the beginning. Namely, we have always been passionate about fine craftsmanship, functional beauty, and a customer-oriented approach to sales.
For this blog post, we interviewed four members of the founding Hansen family – Lise, Mette, Jens, and Jorgen – to talk about the early days of Copenhagen and how the company has evolved over time. Join us for a look back on 55 iconic years of furniture and family.
Copenhagen was founded by Erik Hansen and Tony Christensen, who both emigrated from Denmark in the 1960’s. They met and became friends in 1967 while working at a Scandinavian furniture store in La Jolla, California. According to Lise (Erik’s wife and VP of Copenhagen), “Both Erik and Tony had several customers from Phoenix – they went to check out the area and decided to move there.”
Jens (son of Erik and Lise and CEO of Copenhagen), says, “Our founders identified a need in the Phoenix market for a more modern furniture option. There simply wasn’t anyone in Arizona offering modern or contemporary design at the time.” Sharing a dream of opening their own furniture store, Tony and Erik combined their passion and expertise to make this vision a reality.
On December 8, 1969, Copenhagen was incorporated, and a few months later, on March 1, 1970, the first store opened. Behind the doors of this modest showroom at 709 W. Indian School Rd, one could find a variety of modern Scandinavian furnishings overseen by a small yet dedicated staff consisting of Erik, Lise, Tony, and Jonna (Tony’s wife).
“In the beginning, it was just the four of us and a new truck,” says Lise. “Soon afterward, we hired a young man to help with deliveries. On Sundays, we would do out-of-town deliveries, and Erik and I would pile the kids into the cab and make it an outing.”
Because the Copenhagen team was composed of only a few people at the start, it was common for each person to fulfill multiple roles. According to Lise, Erik was primarily in charge of acquisitions, ordering furniture mostly from Denmark with some American manufacturers as well. He also handled finances, sales, deliveries, hiring, and advertising. Tony, meanwhile, had a talent for salesmanship, while Jonna had an eye for visual merchandising and decor. Lise says, “I would step in to work in sales, mostly in our gifts department, but I liked the back best, where I would unpack new arrivals and help with the daily ledgers.”
Business took off and the store relocated to a larger space at 701 W. Indian School Rd. More members of the Hansen and Christensen families joined the endeavor, such as Erik’s brother Jorgen, and Tony’s brother John. In the 70’s and 80’s, the founders also hired Danish exchange workers, many of whom ended up staying on as employees. “The store was full of Scandinavian tradition, from the people who worked there to the products we sold,” says Mette, daughter of Erik and Lise.
Indeed, Copenhagen was the setting for many of Mette’s formative years – she recalls spending numerous after-school days at the store doing homework while her parents worked. “As I grew older, I helped file papers in the office, clean around the store, and assist in the gifts department,” she says. “As a teen and young adult, I loved watching my dad create ads, and as the years went on, I would help brainstorm slogans. My dad was the ‘idea man’ – he was always thinking about his business.”
Mette adds, “Copenhagen was truly a family affair, and it still is. Everyone helped each other in all departments. My family would also travel to various furniture and gift fairs and create lasting relationships with our manufacturers.”
Both Lise and Mette have fond memories of Copenhagen’s holiday events in the store’s early years. After moving to the second, larger space, the founders started a yearly Christmas tradition – “We would invite our customer base to an evening of hygge [coziness],” Lise explains. “They could view our Christmas shop and partake in some traditional Danish Christmas foods. There was no selling involved, just hygge and a chance to say thank you to our customers for the past year.”
Other special events at Copenhagen would focus on exhibitions of fine Danish design. For instance, the store once displayed Royal Copenhagen porcelain sent over by an artist who showed how the pieces were decorated in the famous Royal Blue patterns. Another year, the store featured a traveling exhibition of home goods from the Danish Design Institute. Traditional Danish foods would be served at each event, such as cheese or rødgrød med fløde, fruit porridge with cream.
Jorgen Hansen played an essential role in expanding Copenhagen from Phoenix to Tucson. In 1972, he immigrated from Denmark to join his brother Erik in Phoenix, where Copenhagen had opened its doors two years prior. In 1977, Jorgen and his wife moved to Tucson to oversee Copenhagen’s second store, a small showroom on Speedway Blvd.
“Tucson treated us well and business grew quickly. Soon, we outgrew the Speedway location,” Jorgen recounts. “We bought and remodeled a space in a shopping center at Fort Lowell and Dodge, where we are still enjoying business today.”
Jens Hansen credits a large part of Copenhagen’s popularity to its striking aesthetic. “The Copenhagen look was embraced by the public, partly because of our light, simple designs that seemed to fit the architecture of the desert Southwest,” he states. “In 1980, we opened the first Copenhagen in El Paso, Texas for the same reason that we started the Arizona locations – we were filling a void in the design scene that did not have a lot of emphasis on contemporary furnishings at the time.”
More stores opened over the years – Arizona showrooms in Tempe (1980, later moved to Gilbert) and Scottsdale (1986), and Texas showrooms in San Antonio (1990) and Austin (1993). Beyond just a place to shop for furniture, each Copenhagen offers a curated experience – from modern architecture with tall ceilings and natural lighting, to unique layouts with home-like vignettes featuring beautiful and functional furnishings.
“I feel that we owe our success to being laser-focused on who we are and what we do,” says Jens. “For 55 years, we’ve stuck to European-style contemporary furniture and accessories. Clean design is our calling card – less is more and simplicity is king here at Copenhagen.” As an example, he cites the Siesta Lounge Chair, designed in 1965 and still sold at Copenhagen. Siesta has a light frame with plush cushioning that makes it, for Jens, “the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in.”
Today, Copenhagen’s collections blend timeless styles with offerings that speak to emerging trends. For instance, Jens has noticed muted earth tones making a comeback, as well as well as warm, cozy aesthetics that evoke hygge. He’s also seen a rise in furniture with integrated technology like discreet charging stations, of which our BDI Linq collection is a stellar example. “We’re continually evolving by keeping an eye on trends and adding fresh designs on a regular basis. You’ll always find something new at Copenhagen,” he promises.
In addition to an evolving collection of merchandise, Copenhagen also offers technological solutions to aid customers with design and decision-making. “To offer more tailored design assistance, Copenhagen has introduced virtual floorplanning software, 3D models, and augmented reality to our website and sales processes,” explains Emily Hansen (Web & Marketing Manager and daughter of Jorgen). “Whether furnishing an entire house or mixing and matching for an eclectic look, it’s easier than ever to envision Copenhagen furniture in your home,” she adds.
As a company built on strong family ties, it makes sense for Copenhagen to also prioritize community connections. “We believe that being involved in the community where we live and have our business is a natural commitment we should make to those that support us,” says Jorgen.
Currently, Copenhagen runs two charity promotions a year – a winter event benefiting a variety of local nonprofits, and a spring food drive benefiting community food banks. Our most recent 5&5 Charity Food Drive raised $50,000 for local food banks, resulting in a four-year total of $300,000 in the fight against hunger.
Copenhagen is also active in local arts and culture scenes. In Phoenix, for instance, we’ve been a yearly sponsor of Design for Dogs, a custom doghouse building competition, while our Scottsdale store has hosted the Sustainable Fashion & Interior Design Exposition with Green Living Magazine, as well as a Dog Adoption Day with Halo Animal Rescue. According to Jorgen, Copenhagen Tucson has supported many arts organizations from Ballet Tucson to the Museum of Contemporary Art, to the Tucson Sculpture Festival. In Texas, our San Antonio store recently participated in the Festival of Flowers, San Antonio Fiesta, and the Interior Design Meets Fashion exposition.
From a small store with only four employees to sprawling showrooms servicing thousands of customers a year, we take immense pride in both our evolution over time as well as our commitment to family and customer relationships. Visit a showroom near you and discover the Copenhagen difference.
Note: The ads pictured in this post date from various decades in Copenhagen’s history. Approximate dates for each are:
Other photos in this post were taken at Copenhagen stores: